Yifan Li 11/23/2016

Final Draft: Sung

Instructor: Samantha
Do we need to speak English like native speakers?

As we know, English is the most important Language all of the world. More and more
people from global world begin to speak English whatever where they from. But because of
the influence from their first language. There may have some differences in the accent of the
non-native English speakers. But sometimes both the native English speakers and the non
native English speakers are confused by each others. So people begin to think, is the non
native English speaker should speak English like the native English speaker? Or they can
speak English in the accent they used before? A linguistic called Sung wrote an essay about
this topic. Sung is a teacher who was teaching English in Hong Kong, he was full of curiosity
in how his student thought about if they want to try to speak English in the accent which the
native English speaks have. most of his students say yes, because they think they can have a
better model of English pronunciation, but there were more than half of his students consider
that not do that maybe is a better choice in different kinds of reasons. Therefore, Sung
proposed a idea that trying to speak English like native English speakers is not always
beneficial to non native English speakers , and then, he discusses it in several reasons.
First of all, Sung discuss the case that if the non-English native speakers using native
English speakers as an pronunciation example, he does not think this is a good idea, because
the native English accent is sometimes not clear, that will make the English learner really
confused. For example, the famous soccer player, David Beckham. Sung does not consider he
is a good pronunciation model, because one of his students claim that he never can understand
what the Beckham were talking about on the TV, Beckhams accent is a bit weird and unclear.

Another student cannot agree that anymore because he has the same experience that like that.
American accent is really difficult to understand. Sometimes, I have to read the subtitles
when I am watching Hollywood movies. I am not sure if I should regard these American
actors as the model speakers of English. To me, American accents are not exactly as
intelligible I used to think. This student said. Another student also mentioned the Harry
Potter, a movie in British English accent. He also cannot understand what Harry said, he
supposed maybe Harrys accent is too British, and the British English accent is too difficult
for him to understand. From these opinion, Sung get a conclusion that, although many non
native speakers consider a native speaker accent as a ideal pronunciation, they find the native
speaker accent is not intelligible for them in reality. So if they want to have a native-like
pronunciation, they do not necessarily to see native speakers as a default. Actually I am really
agree with them, I have my own experience about that. At the beginning I studied for my
TOEFL Listening test, I only can get
8 points In that part(full point is 30), the most serious problem I had is I cannot understand
what the roles in the taping are talking about. I mean, that is the English, the same language I
learned before, but that really made me confused because the English accent in the taping is
pure American English accent, which is really different from the English accent I had heard in
my English learning before. If I want to understand all of the content in the taping, I need to
replay the taping again and again, maybe twenty times. Therefore I have the same idea that
native English accent like American accent is really difficult to understand, it is unfriendly to
non-native English learners.
Whats more, another reason given by these student is they thought American English
accent is associated with the American culture, they agree America can influence the world
easily, but they do not agree that all of these influence are positive. Some of the American are
very self-central, so they do not want to sound like them.

Second, Sung discuss another case what is seeing local non-native speakers of English as
pronunciation model. Many student mentioned sounds like the Hong Kong speakers of
EnglishI like to sound like the news reporters on TVB Pearl, the English TV channel in
Hong Kong. Although these reporters are from Hong Kong, they dont seem to speak English
with an accent. I mean their accent is quite native-like. Its very clear and I find them pleasant
to listen to. One of Sungs student stated. And anther student expressed the same idea. It can
be inferred that although local native English speakers does not speak English like native
English Speakers, they pronunciation very clearly. Like the Anson Chan, the former Chief
Secretary of Hong Kong, she was born and raised in Hong Kong, but her English
pronunciation is very clear, and her accent is also very close to the native accent, so maybe
she can be a good pronunciation for students. For this, Sung got that local non native English
speakers is a good model for students to learn because their accent is more clear and more
intelligible for students to learn, rather than native-speakers vague accent. Taking my self as
an example, I can understand what my Chinese English teachers talking about easily in the
class, but not with my American English teacher. I suppose the reason is the different accent
between them, American English always speak much more faster, and Chinese English
teacher speak slower and more clearly, so I think maybe teachers with local accent are better
for me so far.
For taking non-native English speakers as a pronunciation model, Sung also think that
might be a good idea, because accent from other country listens better sometimes. In his
essay, he uses Heidi Klum as an example, I would like to sound like Heidi Klum, She is
German but speaks English with a very good American accent. Although she is not a native
speaker, I feel that her pronunciation is even clearer than American speakers of English.
Sometimes, I find that American speakers have a strong accent and I dont fully understand
them. Said one of Sungs students. And also, some other students hold the same idea that

many that many accents from other countries but not native English speakers are listens nicer.
Honestly I do not really agree this idea, I have a lot of friends from other country, like Japan,
Korea, and Singapore. I admit maybe their accents are particular, but that really makes me
confused a lot, I think Koean accent and Japanese accent are really difficult to understand, I
have trouble in undetstanding them at most times. There this is a point that I hold the different
idea with Sung.
In conclusion, Sung thinks although most of the non native English speakers want to
speak English as native English speakers, but we cannot ignore the short coming about that,
we can find sometimes the native English accent will be not clear, and also, it block the
variety of the English. Oppositely, Speak English in a non-native accent can increase the
variety of the English sometimes, but they may are difficult to understand for native English
speakers and different accent-English speakers. So we can find that learn to speak English like
a native speaker not always beneficial, each way have its benefit a nd shortcoming, I think we
need to find the best way for us to speak English, trying to speak English like native English
speakers is not always good.
Another Linguistic, Graddol, also proposed same idea with Sung, he holds that nativespeak models are more and more useless. In Graddols essay, he proposed that people need to
spend more money on inviting native-speakers to teach English, he does not think that is
worth.
And most of these English instructor does not up to the standard, they do not have enough
experience to conduct English. Further more, native accent English is a language with cultural
baggage, people can not learn that completely as a second language, so Graddol holds the
same idea with Sung.
In the whole article, Sung uses his students idea, to illustrate that trying to speak English
like a native English speakers is not always good idea, native English accent some times too

vague to English learners to understand. In my opinion, I consider that both the two options
have their different benefit and shortcoming. For the speaking like native English speakers, I
think the benefit is, guaranteeing to have the ability to communicate with the native-English
speakers, if you have a different accent with native English speakers, both you and the native
English listeners may cannot understand each others, I had experience that before. The first
time I meet my roommate, Steven, who is a pure American, I feel really embarrassed because
my accent is very different for his, so we cannot understand each other. But the native English
accent is really difficult to study! I tried to do that several times, but failed all the time. For do
not speaking like native speakers, I think the benefit is increasing the variety of the English,
mike it more interesting. And the shortcoming is what I mentioned above, there is a risk that
maybe the native speakers cannot understand what are you talking about when you are
communicating neither of you. The best way for a English learner to speak English is
finding the fittest way for him to speak English, rather than enforce him to speak English in a
specific accent.

Reference:

David Graddol (2006). Why global English may mean the end of
English

as

ForeignLanguage.EnglishNext,p110-117.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwFxWGror9oZdVF4MjA3OXJWbHM/v
iew